Rail anchor



Oct. 16, 1951 GRANT 2,571,565

RAIL ANCHOR Filed Jan. 27, 1949 25 INVENTOR- (Jd/{R J. m/zf Patented Oct. 16, 1951 RAIL ANCHOR John L. Grant, Chicago, 111., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Poor & Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application January 27, 1949, Serial No. 73,069

This invention relates to improvements in rail anchors of the general class comprising a clamp device adapted to grip the base portion of a railroad rail and abut against a vertical face of a crosstie on which the rail is supported.

The supporting structure for a railroad rail, ordinarily, comprises a Wooden crosstie and a metal tie plate interposed between the top surface of the crosstie and the base portion of the railroad rail. The relative widths of the crosstie and tie plate may vary slightly with respect to each other. In some instances the tie plate may correspond to the width of the crosstie and in other instances it may be of less or greater width than the crosstie. The present invention aims to provide a simplified rail anchor construction which when applied to a railroad rail will normally bear against a vertical face of the crosstie without regard to the position of the tie plate on the crosstie.

A specific object of the invention is to provide a railroad rail anchoring device of the above general class which may be formed by bending a metal bar into a desired configuration to provide rail clamping jaws adapted to be driven transversely of the rail into resilient gripping engagement with the top and bottom surfaces of one base flange of the rail; the said bar being of T- shape configuration in cross-section with the metal thereof being so distributed as to provide a balanced symmetrical structure at opposite sides of the vertical center of the bar, whereby the bending stresses are balanced during the manufacture of the anchor. In this connection the invention also contemplates ofi setting the vertical flange of the bar so that the rail gripping portion of the anchor, when it is applied to the rail, will normally grip the rail at a location at one side of the plane of the vertical face of the adjacent crosstie, the proportions being such that the vertical arm or flange of the T-bar may be offset to a position beyond the edge of the horizontal flange of the bar without undue thinning of the vertical flange at the offset bends.

According to the present invention, the anchor device herein shown is made from a rolled metal bar of T-shape cross-section, the horizontal arms of the T cooperating to provide a horizontal portion of suitable width for gripping the base portion of the rail and the vertical arm or flange of the T functions to rigidify the hook end portion of the anchor device and also provides a surface of suitable width for bearing against a vertical face of a crosstie. The width of rail gripping portion of the anchor device is preferably such that the 2 Claims. (Cl. 238327) vertical flange of the T, without undue stretch of the metal therein, may be pressed laterally to position a vertical side face thereof beyond the edge of the rail gripping portion of the anchor.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the base portion of a railroad rail positioned on a supporting structure and showing a rail anchor device, constructed in accordance with this invention, applied to the rail in a position to abut against a vertical face of a rail supporting structure, for example a crosstie.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken through the rail on line 2-2, but illustrating the rail anchor device and the rail supporting structure in side elevation, and

Fig. 3 is a view taken from the left of Fig. 2 showing one end portion of the rail anchor and illustrating the said anchor in abutting engagement with a vertical face of a rail supporting structure.

Referring to the drawingr III designates the base portion of a railroad rail, I I one of the crossties on which the rail is supported, and I2 designates a tie plate, of ordinary construction, interposed between the top surface of the crosstie II and the bottom surface I3 of the rail base Ill. The tie plate I2 may be of any desired construction. For the purpose of convenience it is illustrated herein as being formed with space shoulders l4! 5, which define abutments for opposite longitudinal edges of the rail base. The plate I2 is attached to the tie by means of suitable track spikes designated I6 which are driven through openings II in the tie plate and into the underlying wooden crosstie I I. In the drawings, the spikes designated I6 serve as means for retaining the rail in its proper position on the width of the tie plate. The tie plate, it will be observed, corresponds to the width of the crosstie l l' and therefore extends to the opposite vertical faces of the crosstie, however, this particular condition is shown merely for purpose of illustration, since the width of the tie plate may vary with relation to the width of the crosstie. In some instances the forward and rear edges of the tie plate may lie within the plane of the opposite side faces of the crosstie, or one or the other edges of the tie plate may extend beyond a vertical face of the crosstie.

The rail anchor device herein shown is made from a pre-rolled metal bar of angu ar configuration in cross-section comprising a horizontal portion l8 and a vetical portion I9. The said horizontal portion provides a platform of suitable Width for engaging the base surface [3 of the rail base I I]. The vertical portion 19 is in the form of a rigidifying flange which extends outwardly from one face of the horizontal portion I8. Preferably, the cross sectional configuration of the metal bar, shown herein, is T-shaped, since this particular configuration provides a symmetrical distribution of metal at opposite sides of the vertical center of the section. This condition equalizcs the bending strains on the hot metal during the manufacture of the device and thereby simplifies the bending operations. The anchor herein shown comprises ametal bar bent at one end into hook form to provide upper and lower jaws 202| adapted to be driven transversely of the rail into firm gripping engagement with the top and bottom surfaces of one base flange 22 of the rail. The other end of the bar is offset upwardly as indicated at 23 to provide a locking T shoulder adapted to engage an edge of 'the rail base flange to lock the hooked end of the anchor device on the rail.

The horizontal platform I 8 projects beyond opposite side planes of the vertical flange l9, before the latter is offset, but its total width is substantially less than the width customarily used for rail engaging platforms of similar anchor device. The metal conserved by the reduction in width of the platform I3 is added to the width of the vertical flange [9. Consequently, the vertical flange 19 of the'present anchor is substantially wider than similar flanges of anchor devices of this type of the same weight and size classification. The additional width of the vertical flange l9 provides'additional strength to the hook-shaped bend 2!) and, therefore, makes it practicable to reduce the width of the plat- ;form 18. since the additional vertical dimension of theflange l9 compensates for the reduction in width of the platform. The additional width of the flange [9 provides a large tie bearing face notwithstanding the fact that a portion of the widthof the vertical flange is used in forming the lateral offset 25 hereinafter described.

The vertical flange I 9, in addition to extending around the hook end of the anchor device to rigidify this portion of the anchor, provides the device with a tie-abutting flange having a flat bearing face 24 of large area which extends across beneath the rail and bears against the crosstie for substantially the full length of the anchor device.

The said-vertical flange I9 is preferably offset laterally as indicated at 25 (Figs. 2 and 3) so that the tie bearing face 24 thereof will extend beyond the plane of the vertical edge portion of the platform l8. The fact that the width of the platform is substantially less than the widths of "platforms heretofore used, makes it practicable to increase the width of the vertical flange without increasing the weight of the device and also makes it practicable to minimize the amount of the offset and at the some time position the vertical tie bearing face a substantial distance 4 beyond the vertical face of the crosstie. It will be observed also that the offset 25 is a feature of the anchor device which makes it practicable to utilize the vertical flange IQ of the increased width shown. The portion of the lateral offset adjacent the hook end of the anchor serves to absorb a portion of the compression strains on the vertical flange in the region A of the bend at the jaw end of the anchor. This construction provides sufflcient resilience in the widened vertical flange to permit the upper jaw to spring upwardly relative to the lower jaw without danger of fracturing the hook at locations along the inner surface of the bend.

In applying the rail anchor device, herein shown, to its operative position on a railroad .rail, the hooked portion of the anchor, defining the upper jaw 20, is engaged over the flange 22 of the rail base 80. The anchor device is then driven transversely of the rail to force the hook upwardly on the inclined surface-of the said base the extent defined in the appended claims.

vI-claim:

1. A rail anchor comprising a bar includin .an under-rail body portion bent at one end into hook form to provide upper and lower jaws for gripping the top and bottom surfaces, respectively, of one base flangeof a railroad rail and formed at the other end with means for engaging the other base flange of the rail to lock'the anchor in its applied position on the rail, the said bar including a horizontally disposed flange extending the full length of the'bar and provid- .ing a platform for engaging the bottom of the rail and also extending around the inner surface of said hook to provide asurface, corresponding .in width to said platform, for gripping the top surface of the first mentioned base flange, and a vertical flange of greater width than the horizontal flange and having a portion depending from said horizontal flange and another portion extending around the outer surface of said bend and said upper jaw to reinforce the same; said vertical flange being bent laterally adjacent said horizontal flange along a llne'extending lengthwise of said platform and across the portion of "the vertical flange beneath the hook-shaped bend to provide a tie abuttingflat face standing perpendicular to the top plane of said platform and spaced outwardly from the vertical side planes thereof so that the platform of the anchor will :be spaced outwardly from an adjacentcrosstie when the anchor is in its applied position on a rail and so that the portion "of said lateral bend positioned beneath the bend of the hook will yield in response to the compression forces on the vertical flange when the upper jaw is flexed upwardly relative to the lower jaw.

2. A rail anchor comprising a bar including an under-rail body portion bent at one end into hook form to provide upper and lower jaws "for gripping the top and bottom surfaces, respectively, of one base flange of a railroad rail and formed at the other end with mean for engag- 5 ing the other base flange of the rail to lock the anchor in its applied position on the rail, the said bar being of T-shape in cross-section including a pair of connected laterally projecting flanges extending the full length of the bar and providing a platform for engaging the bottom of the rail and also extending around the inner surface of said hook to provide a surface, corresponding in width to said platform, for gripping the top surface of the first mentioned base flange, and a centrally disposed vertical flange, a portion of which depends from the juncture of said horizontal flanges and another portion extends around the outer surface of said bend and said upper jaw to reinforce the same; said vertical flange being offset laterally toward the outer edge of one of said horizontal flanges along a line extending lengthwise of said platform and across the portion of said vertical flange lying beneath the hook-shaped bend, the offset portion providing a tie abutting flat face standing perpendicular to the top plane of said platform and spaced outwardly from the vertical side planes thereof so that the platform of the anchor will be spaced outwardly from an adjacent crosstie when the anchor is in its applied position on a rail and so that the portion of said lateral offset located beneath the bend of the hook will ield in response to the compression forces in the vertical flange when the upper jaw is flexed upwardly relative to the lower jaw.

JOHN L. GRANT.

REFERENCE S CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,558,072 Angus Oct. 20, 1925 1,702,978 Norwood Feb. 19, 192 9 2,244,755 Warr June 10, 1941 2,268,327 Thomann Dec. 30, 1941 2,373,923 ,Thomann et a1 Apr. 17, 1945 2,473,345 Preston .d June 14, 1949 

